Putting the Mobile in Mobile Retail

Jackie Micucci

Tuesday, Oct 04, 2011 at 10:00 AM

2D technology seems like the natural progression for the retail world especially since the industry has long been working with barcode systems. But what if these retailers could use that 2D technology to bring the store to customers during their daily commute? U.K.-based company Tesco did just that in South Korea.

First, the company changed its name to Home Plus and then it started to put supermarkets inside subway stations. But these weren’t actual stores. They were precise picture recreations of the supermarket aisles where commuters would normally wait for their train to come.

With a smartphone app that scanned QR Codes placed on the virtual groceries, people could do their food shopping during their commute and then have the groceries waiting for them by the time they got home. This was a total win for Home Plus. The virtual grocery store attracted more than 10,000 new customers and boosted its online sales by 130 percent. Check out the video below to watch the store in action.

How would you use Tag to improve your customers’ mobile retail experience? Let us know with your comments below or on Facebook or Twitter.